


Neighbors

by sylvieforaday



Category: Gundam Wing
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-28
Updated: 2018-05-16
Packaged: 2019-03-25 07:49:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13829718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sylvieforaday/pseuds/sylvieforaday
Summary: A/U - Meilan is learning, not everything happens the way you thought it would. Sometimes you fall for the perfect girl next door when she gets knocked off her pedestal.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Don't know where this pairing came from, but hope you enjoy!

Relena was my next door neighbor. I remember the black velvet band holding back her dirty blonde hair the day she arrived vividly. It was immaculately straight; her clothes pristinely pressed. She was everything I think my parents wanted for their American daughter. Not the frizzy mess of hair that I had. It was thick and course and utterly unmanageable for the child I had been then. Her hair looked like my mother’s, sleek and smooth to the touch. I wanted to hate her, I really did. The only thing I wanted was to smooth it back and beg her to let me brush it, just once, just so I would know.

 

 

The first thing she ever said to me was how my mother’s cooking looked “icky” the first day of first grade. She gave me half of her peanut butter and jelly sandwich. It was the first time I had had white bread.

 

 

Relena would grow to endure, if not look forward to the traditional Chinese cooking of my mother when we got to middle school. They praised her and ate up all of her compliments of their home and how lovely dinner was. Later my mother would beg, “why can’t you be like her Meilan.” 

 

 

I don’t know mother.

 

 

It sat on my tongue as a thirteen-year-old girl begging for approval, but it remained silent.

  
  


 

We’d both been pre-law. It was both of our parent’s dreams. We’d gone to ivy league schools on either side of the country, but we’d both come home that summer after blissfully graduating. Coasting was all I had done. It’s easy to graduate top of your class when you’re only living to learn. You’re not having experiences, just allowing them to happen around you.

 

 

When I saw Relena for the first time that summer, her parents furious that she wouldn’t be attending Stanford for her law degree, that instead she was traveling with her boyfriend and living out some La Boheme fantasy. Me, I was lost. I didn’t realize how lost I had been until she kissed me. I watched her stride away, nostril’s flaring like an unruly mare. Of course, I followed into intoxicating rebellion. Like opening my eyes for the first time. We sat in absolute vacuum silence, and I forced my body into perfect stillness. First, she slipped her warm hand under my shirt. Fingers carved invisible trails on my skin. My lungs seized. It had never felt like this. She would have to guide my hand under her sweatshirt because I was too terrified to move any of my rigid muscles. Of all the thoughts that could have brought me clarity, it wasn’t that she smelled like warmth and floral perfume, but that my cold unsure hands were around her bare warm breasts. My fingertips, uninhibited, brushed her nipples. Relena wasn’t wearing a bra. 

 

 

Just like it had started, it ended.

 

 

She apologized to me and helped me fasten my bra because my hands were trembling with anxiety. Before my vision cleared from pulling my crumpled shirt over my head, she wordlessly left.

  
  
  


 

We kept up on Instagram, or whatever other social media app was trading on that given week. Relena had stopped going by her given name when she’d blown her trust fund on a vintage Indian Scout Motorcycle; it was Rey now. It hadn’t been fully restored, but it had good bones. The guy she was dating, Chad, dumped her that first summer after college when she trumped him in her mechanical skills. She had posted pictures of just her on her bike. Her at the shop she worked at, working on her “baby”.

 

 

She traveled, I stayed still. 

 

 

Painfully still.

 

 

I had nervous breakdown my second year at UT law school. My parents had so much shame in their eyes when I woke up to the sickening smell of hospital linens. I cried, not because of their mortification, but that I was  alive to see it.

 

 

My roommate had called 911. She had found me passed out on the bathroom floor with vomit on my face. I hated her for rolling me to my side. It would have been so easy just to choke.

 

 

I stayed precisely three weeks back home with my parents. My father had kissed me one night, a show of affection he hadn’t given me since I had been a baby. I knew my mother was asleep because this was a secret between us. He begged me not to break his heart. My mother, she iced me out. Not a word she gave me, but all I could think was I bet you don’t want me to be like Relena now.

 

 

My apartment close to campus was forfeited. I was for the first time, on my own. At 23 I had a freedom that I had craved and built resentment to any of my peers around me that had obtained it. Instead of liberation, I felt stifled and lonely. I had a studio apartment with one window and A/C that only worked half of the time and when it did it left the room feeling like the inside of a dryer with a failing heating element. I was teaching two flow yoga classes a week and bartending at two different bars every night. Yoga, of all things, had been what kept me from slitting my wrists in my humid, dank apartment. I was on my way to my 500-hour teaching certification. Things were looking up for me. I had a routine. My therapist had told me a support system and consistency would keep me on track. It took me two years to find a groove, to make friends and forget about the radio silent static from my mother and Relena Darlian riding west with grease under her fingernails and a boyfriend taking up space on her bitch seat.

 

 

I was still reeling from the previous night as I dragged my dirty laundry soberly from car to laundromat. I’d been out with some people from my studio, when a good friend of mine, Roger had kissed me goodnight. I politely pushed me away; it had been a gentle permission seeking kiss that I denied by lowering my chin and pressing my fingertips into his chest.

 

 

“I’m gay,” I told him, and he laughed. He was the first person I’d ever confided in. Not my friends, not my therapist, not my co-workers, but Roger, the tattooed yoga instructor I had only met three months ago with white guy dreads. 

 

 

I laughed too as he promised to set me up with a friend of his. A hot lady friend, he had emphasized.

 

 

I was smiling as I skipped over the dryer, that like my apartment, maintained status as a nationally protected wetland with its neverending mildewing state. I smelled it first crashing like a repressed memory. A stark contrast from the fabric softener and ever permeating bleach. 

 

 

Leather and vanilla and tuberoses. 

 

 

There was no velvet headband holding back untouchable hair. No Stanford sweatshirt for me to explore underneath. Just faded jeans, scuffed leather motorcycle boots, and a slubbed grey shirt. I noticed, just like I had the first time,  her breasts sat uninhibited beneath thin fabric. That perfect hair sheared at her chin in tousled waves, like she’d just found her way spontaneously from LA, her temporary space for the last three months, to this shitty laundromat. 

 

 

“That dryer doesn’t work.” Of all of the unimaginative things I could have come up with, the tactless, unsolicited advice came out of my mouth as a tentative squeak.

 

 

“Oh, thanks.” She hopped down. Her long legs crossed as she leaned back. There wasn’t recognition, but she hadn’t necessarily taken the time to look at me either. 

 

 

“Rey.” Saying her name felt forbidden.

 

 

“Yeah?” Her head was buried in the dryer as she wadded the ball of wet clothes into her arms lackadaisical and without motivation.

 

 

“Rey,” I repeated her name firmly as apprehension turned to irritation. 

 

 

“What?” The tone she used mimicked my own, but she finally turned up to look at me and even, so it took her about thirty seconds of silence to mull over what she was seeing. “Mei?” All of the weight deflated from her shoulders. The hands perched on the curves of her hips fell limpidly at her side. “Shit.” Idly she ran a hand through her hair, scratching at the scalp, it further mussed the silky strands. It took her a few minutes of gauging me to decide how she felt. I could see the dark sapphires of eyes cataloging me cautiously. “I didn’t know you were still in Austin. My parents said you dropped out and you were back at home.” It seemed even Relena’s parents could forgive her.

 

 

“I haven’t been home in two years.” Saying the words aloud made it real. I hadn’t seen my parents in two years. I’d spent two years of holidays with friends. I’d spent two years slinging drinks and teaching yoga and meditation classes. I’d spent two years kissing girls after my shift hoping to find that same thrill I felt with my hand up my next door neighbor’s sweater. 

 

 

“Damn, I’m so glad to see you.” Without warning, Rey closed the distance and wrapped an arm around me. She was taller than me, and the boots only exasperated the difference between us. The smell was, even more, intoxicating with her arm wrapped around my shoulders. Even when she hesitated, she still ended up committing and pulled her other arm around my waist. “You look good.” She manipulated my body, pushing me slightly away to get a better look at me.

 

 

“I can’t believe you’re here.” I blurted it out, and she just chuckled pulling me back in this time a little closer.


	2. Chapter 2

Thai take-out was my favorite, and I had a dedicated order from Royal Mandala to the embarrassing extent that the owner and his wife knew me by voice alone. Good day? Thai food. Bad day? Thai food. Mediocre day? Thai food. It was a growing problem.

 

So, when Rey asked to come over, I told her I’d order takeout hoping the enticing aroma would cover the mildew smell. In all fair warning, I didn't over exaggerate to her; it was not very impressive or personal.

 

_It does have a queen-sized bed._

 

I’m not sure where the boldness came from, but I’d said it, and she’d chuckled. A deep throaty chuckle with a quirked eyebrow. Even the distance from behind the phone couldn’t mask its seductive quality.

 

Crab rangoons, Panang curry, and mango sticky rice all set out on my coffee table like an altar of enticement for me to worship in front of. Like I mentioned, food is a bit of a religious experience for me.

 

I fussed over my hair. I’d had to take a shower, and I had to wash my hair and to top it all off I was running late. By the time there was a rhythmic knock at my door my hair was still wet, and a bit frizzy and I was make-up less and casually dressed in yoga leggings and a t-shirt. Any hope that Relena would consider this a date would probably evaporate the minute she took a look at me.

 

She was leaning against my door frame almost towering as she looked me over from wet hair to bare feet. A small smirk curled at the corner of her pink mouth. I don’t know how she managed to wear a helmet and still have flawlessly messy hair.

 

“Hey.” She announced cradling said helmet and waited there patiently for me to usher her inside.

 

It wasn’t much, but it was my sanctuary. Rey didn’t seem to judge, as I moved to the side outstretching an arm to invite her inside. I was relieved when she didn’t linger too long on the bare walls or the lazily made bed behind the sheer rosewood silkscreen, it was the only thing I’d kept that still reminded me of my mother.

 

“It smells amazing in here.” Rey was slipping out of her jacket, and I was eagerly waiting with an outstretched arm to accept it. I took the helmet and tried not to think that it would smell just like her. Being jealous of a helmet was probably pretty high up on the scale of a pathetic loser.

 

“I hope you like Thai food then. It’s from my favorite place.” The awkward silence on my behalf was making my stomach turn at the spicy aroma. Rey was lazily casual like nothing bothered her.

 

“Love it. I have to say as much as the food in Cali is good; I would have to say Austin doesn’t disappoint. The hipster crowd kind of sucks, but hey it’s not as bad as LA.” She was smirking running her hand along the Buddha on my counter, his hands in his lap in a meditative mudra. “You mentioned you were a yoga instructor, yeah?”

 

I only nodded in response, setting plates down on the coffee table to occupy my nerves.

 

“I should come to your class sometime.” The smirk on her face had me swallowing, and I nearly dropped one of the mismatched plates. It would have been no significant loss.

 

“Yeah, you should. If you promise not to be too harsh on me.” I tried to return the coy little smile she was giving me, but it came off phony, I could feel it. The sudden jump in my voice betrayed my cover-up.

 

“Mei, you don’t have to be nervous. I promise I won’t molest you like last time.” It was an effeminate giggle that she gave me as she crossed the small room of an apartment to stand in front of me. Her hands were warm on my arm, and I could have melted. It felt just like the first time she touched me. That casual warmth of her hands was shooting over my body, better than any yoga pose could. She wasn’t shy about her intention; she tucked a strand of damp hair behind my ear letting her hand trail ghosting under my jaw and down my shoulder and arm.

 

“Promises, promises.” I didn’t move away even when she stepped a little closer. “I remembered you liked it spicy. Hopefully, your tastes haven’t changed that much.” It didn’t come off quite as confident as I’d hoped but it got a rueful smile from her.

 

Dinner was remarkably more comfortable than I had built up in my mind. I had replayed the scenario about a thousand times since we’d made plans. She laughed at all the right times, so none of my jokes fell flat, she didn’t ask about why I dropped out of school, I’m sure she knew. My mother was never shy about blaming me for slandering her reputation. There was no judgment when I went for a third beer, and perhaps it was that third beer that had me leaning across the table ignoring the fragrant bite she was about to put in her mouth and kissed her. The wood chopsticks clattered on the plate dramatically, but I held her face until she was forced to stay. It took a few minutes to adjust, to recover from the sensation of teeth clashing together. Rey took the lead, eased the kiss into something more tentative and less cloying. Just a hint of teasing tongue against my bottom lip, not enough for me to feel the metal decorating her tongue. I repaid the favor with a teasing nip.

 

“Now who’s molesting who.” She whispered against my mouth pulling back slightly, the words were warm, and the air felt like it only existed right there between us.

 

“I didn’t hear you complaining.” I’m not sure where this girl came from, maybe I was just trying to impress her. I was after all so much less interesting than her.

 

“Meilan Long, you are full of surprises.” She bit my lip after she mumbled against them. The vibrations were pleasant and ticklish.

 

When we parted, I crawled over on all fours to sit on the same side of the table as her. Her lanky legs were crisscrossed. In front of her and she let her knee rub inconspicuously against my thigh.

 

“You have no idea. Mizzzz Peacecraft.” It had been too many beers, and I was high on the heaviness of it, but she firmed up underneath my kisses.

 

“Hey, we have all the time in the world.” Her warm, callused palm touched my chin and cradled my jaw putting distance between us. Even as gentle as the gesture was it still stung.


	3. Chapter 3

The shop was nothing like I had expected it. It was one thing to imagine Rey in greasy coveralls working under a car or dismantling a bike, but witnessing it in person was another. Her blonde hair was out of her face by a sweaty bandana, her thick canvas sleeves rolled up, and her hands were covered in thick rubber padded gloves. Even I recognized that the bike she was working on was expensive. It was propped up on a massive work table while she carefully removed metal parts and the rubber in between. I took the opportunity to just observe her, watching her back move under the thick canvas.

 

“Can I help you?”

 

It shook me out of my stupor, and there was suddenly another woman with her hand on my shoulder. A clean gloveless hand, but her coveralls were just as dirty as Rey’s, and her hair was long and luxurious, tied back in a long ponytail.

 

“She’s with me.” My eyes drifted, and Rey was smirking up at me as she stood up from her haunches. She pulled the gloves off her fingers by the fingertips, but her ocean of eyes never left mine. She’s with me repeated in my mind, and a shiver ran up my spine.

 

She’d left my apartment after our take-out date with little more than a chaste kiss and a vague promise to get together “later.” “Later” turned out to be a week later at her shop.

 

“This is Mei, the girl I told you about that grew up next door to me. Mei this is Dorothy, she and Hilde own the shop with me.” Rey wrapped her arm around me, careless of the grease-streaked across her forearm, and honestly couldn’t have cared if she stained every piece of clothing I owned as long as I could feel the heat and pressure of having her arm there.

 

“Ooooh, this is Mei.” Dorothy pulled a thick blond eyebrow into a quizzical arch framing your face. That look, both mischief and predatory had me wondering just exactly what Rey had been telling everyone about me. I could feel her rub her thumb and index finger together nervously as the motion brushed my shoulder.

 

“The one and only.” I shrugged her touch away feeling suddenly very self-conscious about Dorothy’s leer. “It’s nice to meet you.” I went to shake her hand firmly, and she returned the handshake with a little nod of approval at the firmness.

 

“Hey, I’m going to head out and take Mei to lunch. Let Duo know I left will ya. I owe him some invoices.” Flippantly she waved her hand dismissively and returned it around my waist. “Duo is our accountant, he gets a little pissy when he can’t settle payments on Friday.”

 

“Will do, can’t promise he won’t come and find you.” Dorothy saluted us, and I let Rey’s touch lead me.

 

xxx

 

Lunch was nice. It was sitting on the sidewalk eating greasy cheese pizza on South Congress. I didn’t mind when she wiped a smudge of sauce from the corner of my mouth with her equally greasy thumb. It was a comfortable silence. Rey stretched out her legs her faded shirt riding up a little over her relaxed jeans and watched me eat conspicuously.

 

“What?” I dreamily asked. It wasn’t like me, but honestly, I couldn’t help the growling nervous energy bubbling in my stomach at just her crooked little smile. It reminded me of what her lips tasted like.

 

“Nothin’, just happy to be out of the shop and looking at something better than gaskets and carburetors.” Rey’s eyes drifted to the sky as she spoke.

 

There was easy contentment as she stood up and hoisted me to my feet the moment the last bite was out of my hands.

 

“Come on Mei, let me buy you a cup of coffee, and maybe we can hang back at my place for a little bit, yeah?” She said with a little mischievous crinkle around her eyes and a little-tilted crook of her lips.

 

She held my hand as her boots scuffed the concrete and my sandals made a dramatic slapping sound on every uptake. Her thumb rubbed a soft circle in the smooth skin between thumb and finger. The soothing gesture stopped suddenly, and she maneuvered her hold on my hand to pull me in close dropping the moonly look she had been sporting for something much more focused. Rey leaned into me twinning her arms onto the small of my back and holding our bodies flush from the naval down. Just when I could feel her soft breath on my cheek, we were interrupted. The noise that I had initially placed as squawking turned out to be coming from a very irate accountant.

 

“Are you kidding me? It’s the end of the month Rey, I have to get these books closed out so we can balance out and your out here, what, fucking on the street?. Ugh! Did you think I wouldn’t find you? We fucking live together! I will Lojack you!” He didn’t take a breath in between thoughts, he merely ground his jaw inhaling through his teeth before continuing to rage at Rey. She didn’t pull away, she didn’t even seem upset she smirked a little when he pointed his finger at her unable to conjure about another point.

 

When he stopped momentarily for breath, she released me and squeezed his shoulders. His fuming eyes softened as she smoothed stands of his hair behind his ears. It was long, almost to his shoulders and had very evidently been mussed from the exertion of his temper tantrum and the huffing he must have done all the way up the two blocks.

 

“Duo, love of my life, they’re in my office. I was going to come back to the shop once I finished treating Mei here to some lunch.” The warm hands that had been pressed against my back held his chin to look down at her, and his eyes rolled as she moved to squeeze his face.

 

“I hate you.” Between puffed cheeks, Duo mumbled crossing his arms dejectedly.

 

Duo walked between us like he was the unwanted younger brother tagging along on a date, with his fists angrily shoved into the pockets of his jeans. Rey leaned forward just a little to look at him at me sticking her tongue out as some sort of apology.

 

I rolled my eyes.


End file.
